Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLRs
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLRs
Customer Review: Blown away...
Summary: 5 Stars
I read a lot of reviews about this lens before making a purchase of my own. The 2 things I liked the most about what I read were the claims that Canon appeared to be using "L" glass, or near-"L" glass in this lens, and of course the main feature of having an ultra-wide angle capability with a 1.6 APS-C camera like my EOS 50D. I can say now after some field testing that this lens gets a 5-out-of-5 stars on both of these accounts.
Crisp focus and tack sharp images seem to be trivial to achieve with this quiet USM AF lens. I found the best 50D lens micro adjustment on my camera to be +3, but also found +0 to be quite acceptable, using the LCD monitor/moire pattern tuning technique at both ends of the zoom range. What REALLY tooted my horn however was the new found capability to take shots that were simply not achieveable before with my 28mm lens. Whole rooms in the house became one-shot deals, as opposed to the cumbersome image stitching technique. Groups of people near by - no problem getting them all into 1 shot. Landscape challenges - a snap without having to back up and up some more, and still wind up stitching multiple images together. Of course, everything written about straight-line distortion at the 10mm end of the zoom is true, but not to an excess, and in my opinion is MORE than offset by the capability to simply "get the shot all at once". An indoor 6 story atrium that previously took 6 stitched photo's to capture - now easily captured in 1 shot.
Focus was achieveable at a tiny bit over 4" from the front of the lens. No IS on this lens, which I missed while trying some low-light shots (I kept waiting for IS to kick in out of habit, since all my other lenses are blessed with this feature), but this is only a concern on extreme close-up's, which is not generally what you'd use this lens for anyway.
The lens has an AF/MF switch of course, and is only usable on certain camera's that are compatible with EF-S type lenses (there is tons of online info about that to be read elsewhere). The filter size is 77mm. There is a light hood available from Canon, which I don't own yet, and I've read that it's marginally beneficial for blocking light since it's so small in order to accomodate wide angle zooming without getting in the way. I'll still buy one and put it on for extra front-end lens protection at around $14. It's easy to bump in to things and a lens hood makes a lot of sense for that reason alone. Anyone who's ever bent the metal of a filter after lightly bumping in to something, and then struggled with filter removal, lens cap fitting, etc., will know just what I mean.
I took some test shots with the built-in flash, and the 10-22mm lens does block the lower 5-10% portion of the picture at wider angle zooms. I was able to compensate for this in most shots by pointing the camera downward a bit more. Still, I'd recommend an external flash when using this lens, to take care of this interference and of course to get far superior bounce flash shots. There was no issue with the lens blocking any output from a camera mounted EX flash.
No lens creep on this lens. The overall lens length does not change with zooming. The zoom ring is snug, but turns smoothly, as does the focus ring, which can be turned after AF'ing for any fine tuning of the focus. The subject end of the lens does NOT TURN when zooming, which is great for circular polarizers and other filters that need to stay oriented. The lens length is 4" (with a UV filter attached) from the front of the lens to the camera body face.
At first I thought this lens might be a specialty lens that I would only use when I needed whole room shots or was met with other wide angle challenges, but with an effective 35mm range on an APS-C camera, the quality of this glass makes it a candidate for a lot more uses as well, enabling quick access with a twist of the zoom ring to any action that comes in "close", or to capture 2 subjects that are not conveniently side-by-side, as is sometimes the case with candid photo's.
I have to admit that I'm writing this review after taking less than 300 photo's with this lens, but the image quality and jaw dropping access to amazingly wide "views" that I've never had the ability to capture in one shot with a dSLR compelled me to brag "now" about this lens. If I encounter anything noteworthy after taking some more test shots under various conditions, I'll amend this post.
In all honesty, it's hard to imagine anyone who has ever been challenged by a wide angle shot not immediately falling in love with this gem once they get in to the field with it. Five star thumbs up on this one. Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLRs
Customer Review: The answer to the crop sensor problem.
Summary: 5 Stars
My take on this lens is that it is an "L" quality optic in a fine, non "L" package. There is nothing else on the market to compete with it (nothing at all), and it produces supurb images. It isn't an f/2.8 lens, but it is close enough for most uses. The competition from Tamron is a full stop slower, not as sharp, and is awful in dim light compared to the Canon 10-22 lens (sorry, Tamron fans, but the Tamron lens isn't even playing in the same ballpark).
I use this lens on a 30D body, and I always keep it on hand if I'm doing any indoor, or tight group photography. It is the perfect solution to the perennial problem of not having enough room to capture all the kids at a birthday party in one shot because your back is up against a wall. This lens will just about get your toes into the picture at the widest setting, yet delivers tack sharp, colorful, and contrasty images. The auto focus is spot on, silent, and fast. It is a must have lens for the active amateur, or any pro using a 1.6 crop factor camera. You simply can't beat this lens with anything available on the market today.
That beng said, do not try to convince yourself that this will make a good "walkaround" lens. It isn't. Even at max length, it is far too short to live on your camera as a standard lens. You need this lens, even if you don't know it yet, but it should not be your first lens, as it will only be used 15 to 20 percent of the time. At those times, it's performance simply cannot be equaled by any other zoom lens on a 1.6 crop factor camera. You will be amazed by the quality of this lens. It rivals the performance of modern prime lenses, presents a bright viewfinder image, and delivers the goods in tight situations.
This is not a casual assessment, nor a Canon "feel good" moment on my part. I developed my first B&W contact prints in 1964, in my own darkroom at the age of 9 (my parents were concerned:)), and have been an avid photographer ever since. Small, medium, and large format cameras and lenses have passed through my hands over the years, and Canon has become my favorite small format brand. Still, Canon builds some trash lenses that should be avoided. The 10-22 USM is not one of them :).
Before you go out and buy this lens, you should already own the EF-S 17-55mm IS f/2.8 lens. That is the king of 1.6 crop factor standard lenses, and includes the awesome Canon IS feature. It will end up being mounted on your camera 80% of the time, and keep you smiling after every shoot. Get that lens first. Then, get the 10-22mm lens. Then, let your imagination run wild, and plan on serious telephoto lenses for the future. Trust me or not, the two lenses mentioned above will provide you with photographic tools that will astound you. Get them in your kit as soon as you can afford them.
A little warning about either lens.... Some here will argue the point, but with either lens, get a GOOD quality UV filter that is multi-coated on both sides, and built extra thin to avoid vignetting at wide lens settings. A good filter will cost a little less than one hundred Dollars, and can cost up to one hundred forty Dollars. The minimum brand would be Hoya Pro 1 multi coated filters, and the ante goes up from there.
Everything else is garbage, including the Canon "sharp cut" filter that costs less than fifty bucks. No kidding, no conjecture. If you use cheap filters, you will never see what your lens can really do. Ever. No doubt that many will respond with claims that their twenty Dollar filter works just fine, but they simply don't know any better, and have never used their expensive equipment to it's full potential. It's akin to a Chevy owner passing judgement on a Mercedes Benz. The Chevy might feel real good, but until you own the Mercedes, you just have no clue.
Bottom line.... Make sure that the quality of your filters exceed the quality of your lenses. Yes, at a hundred bucks a pop for a 77mm filter, it hurts, but you will never regret it. Also, Amazon does not stock lens hoods for all non L Canon lenses. The price is stupid high for those hoods, but they make a night and day difference in in picture quality. Whenever you order a non L Canon lens, find a web seller who has the hood in stock, and get it right now. Again, you will never regret owning it.
That's it for my review/rant. Buy this lens. Buy the 17-55 IS f/2,8 first. Buy the lens hoods for both. Toss any "kit" lenses that came with the camera in the trash bin (where they belong), and be very happy.
Customer Review: A lens worth buying a digital slr for
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been more or less addicted to wide angle photography for the last 20 years or thereabouts. Unfortunately, ultra wide angle shooters have been left out of reasonably accessible digital slr photography until very recently. Now there are several viable name brand options available, namely the Canon 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 reviewed here, the Nikon 12-24mm f4, and the Zuiko 7-14mm f4. Because of the 3 different crop factors involved, these lenses end up being pretty close in (35mm equivalent) effective range; 16-35 for the Canon, 18-36 for the Nikon, and 14-28 for the Olympus. Many will caution against purchasing these lenses since they cannot cover the full frame 24x36 format, and cannot even be mounted on a regular body. In the Olympus' case, it doesn't matter since the company has staked its fortunes on the smaller 4/3rds sensor format, and has opened it up to other manufacturers such as Fuji and Panasonic. With the Nikon and Canon, you are taking a leap of faith that the companies will continue to produce 1.5 and 1.6 crop factor sensors into the future so that you will be able to take your crop-only lenses to upgraded digital bodies down the line. To my mind, Olympus has already demonstrated the desirable technical characteristics of a smaller sensor format, so there is good reason to believe that smaller than full frame sensors are here to stay. By extending the glass beyond the mount and into the body, and/or covering a smaller circle, Canon and Nikon are providing those same technical benefits to users of their smaller sensor cameras, namely sharp, extra wide angle in a compact package. Besides which, I'm much more concerned with the photos I couldn't take if I stayed away from the product, than I am with its unknown future upgrade path.
While the Olympus lens and 4/3rds system was intriguing, I felt that the 7-14mm wasn't worth more than double the price of the Canon for 2 extra mm at the wide end. It's also double the weight - making it impractical for use as an everyday lens, and negating the advantages of the E-1 body. So, I was pretty much down to the Canon or the Nikon (or the always available Waitsomemore).
At this point, I should say I'm platform agnostic. In the 80's I happily used Minolta equipment. In the 90's I bought some Nikon gear to use their 15mm prime lens. Basically, if it suits my purposes, I don't care what the label is.
Back to the lenses. The Nikon is more expensive and less wide, but it does have the continuous maximum apeture throughout the range. The Canon is wider, a tad lighter, and a tiny amount faster at the wide end. Both appear to be excellent choices, but I could not consider them independently of the cameras they would be mated to. Since I did not already own a digital body, it also came down to a decision between the Canon 20d & Nikon D70s. Here, the Canon wins for me on quality of sensor and a host of other details.
In practice, the lens is a joy to use. It's sharp. The zoom allows it to be as wide as you need it, which is an improvement over my previous favorite Minolta 20mm 2.8, though it does lack the depth of field scales which the Minolta has. The zoom also allows for keeping the lens mounted without switching as often, and that's important for keeping out dust. It's a very solidly built, quality instrument. Focus is fast if you're into that sort of thing, and nearly silent with the ultrasonic motor. The lens does not extend in length for zooming or focusing, though the front elements do move slightly inside the barrel. Mated to the 20d it's a tool that exceeds my previous film cameras in just about every way imaginable. I'm finally free to make the ultrawide photos that I want to make in the digital domain and the initial results have been outstanding.
If you're into ultrawide and want to go digital, the 20d with 10-22 is a fantastic setup. If you've already gone digital and want to try wide angle, (assuming your camera can use ef-s lenses) this is a true bargain - you get a 16mm, 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm all rolled into one. It makes me positively giddy. Thank you, Canon!
Customer Review: No excuse not to buy this lens!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one terrific lens! It solves the problem of wide-angle coverage in the 1.6 FOVCF very nicely. As others have pointed out, the mechanical build and optical quality (with 3 Aspherical elements and 1 Super-UD) probably deserve an "L" stamp and a red ring. This lens appears to be of almost identical build, quality and size as the EF 17-40mm f/4.0 L USM. Even uses the same 77mm filter size as most of the L's. Overall sharpness is excellent, with maybe a little softness towards the corners at 10mm, but I've seen comparisons with other ultra-wide zooms like the Sigma and the Canon blows them away! CA is well controlled too. There is slight Barrel and Pincushion distortions present at the low and high ends, but less than would be expected for a lens this wide. All in all this is one of the best wide-angle zooms available.
The major criticism of this lens usually comes down to; "well, how long will Canon continue to make 1.6 FOVCF cameras?" or "Someday I might upgrade to a Full Frame camera, then what will I do with this lens?" I doubt very seriously that Canon will do away with the APS-C cameras any time soon. My reasoning is that:
1. Canon just came out with the Full Frame 5D at the $3000 price point. Introducing a FF camera to replace the 20D at $1500 would kill the 5D after only a few months.
2. Having the EF-S lens line already established almost guarantees keeping the 1.6 format - mostly because of this lens. To be able to use the EF-S 10-22mm, a chip can't really go any bigger than 1.6 since this seems to be the limit of the useable coverage. Using a 1.5 or 1.4 sensor for example would probably start to introduce significant fall-off at the corners of the larger chip.
As I am writing this, the PMA conference is only four days away. My prediction is that Canon will announce a replacement for the 20D that will, in essence be a 1.6 FOVCF version of the 5D. They will probably increase the (already excellent) density of the 20D's CMOS by shrinking pixel size down to around 5 micron yielding something around the 10 mega-pixel range to compete with the Nikon D200. Maybe they will call the camera the 50D after the 5D since they can't really use the name 30D because D30 was already used.
In any case, my point is that the 1.6 APS-C format will likely be around for some time to come, until the point where the FF price point drops enough to warrant discontinuing the xxD line. Even then, when that happens, doesn't mean you'll throw your 20D in the trash! You'll still want to keep using it and/or sell it, and having this lens will significantly increase its usefulness or resale value.
Now, having said all that, this is the only EF-S lens I plan on buying. From the reviews I've read, the other EF-S lenses are of significantly lesser quality, and all of your other lens needs can be met with standard EF lenses anyway, APS-C or otherwise. Plus you get the option to buy L glass.
So, bottom line is buying this particular EF-S lens for a 20D or XT is a no-brainer. It's the best solution for wide angle in this format. Hesitating to buy it because "I might get a FF camera someday" is also nonsensical. What I might do in the future is just that, for the future. Not buying a mid-priced car today because "someday" I might buy a Ferrari doesn't satisfy my use and enjoyment of the car today!
Customer Review: Best wide angle lens for crop sensor Canon shooters.
Summary: 5 Stars
I owned this lens for about a year, had to sell it and I'm looking to buy it again. The reason is simple, it's the best wide angle lens for crop sensor cameras.
Though I care more about picture quality than build quality (The 50mm F/1.8 mk.ii is the perfect example), the EF-S 10-22 is on par with some L glass I've had. Though the zoom and focus rings are not as damped as the 70-200mm F/4 L IS, they were on par with the 17-40 L, which is already a very nice lens. There is absolutely no wobbling, unlike many other consumer zooms. The lens doesn't extend nor rotate while zooming or focusing. Lens hood is not included, which really is a shame for such a high quality lens. Overall, the only reason why it's not an L lens is because of the EF-S nomenclature, otherwise, based on build alone, it would definitely qualify.
Build quality aside, what about the optics? Well, I used to care much more about the telephoto end than the wide end. I had a 70-200, changed it for the 70-300 DO (another gem), and now I have a 300 prime with a 1.4 extender. So when I first got the 10-22 it was more to test what it could do. After a few outings with it, I realized that my favorite photos tended to be taken with this lens. The quality for such a wide angle lens is absolutely great. The first thing you will notice is how wide it really is. At 10mm, one has to really watch out for the tripod (or your own) feet not to be in the frame. At the same time, in order to get interesting photographs, one needs to be REALLY close to what one is photographing. At 10-12mm, there is significant distortions which aren't very pleasing, but very tolerable. However, from 12 all the way to 22mm it really is outstanding. Pictures are very sharp, and there is a lot of detail to be had.
If you are wondering if then, the 17-40mm may be a better option, let me tell you that it isn't. Under a crop factor, the 17-40 is more of a standard zoom lens, and not a true wide angle. The 7mm focal length difference is huge on the wide end. And both are very close in sharpness terms. As a landscape lens, one will want to stop down to shoot anyway, so the wide open aspect is not that important. I do not feel that the 16-35mm is a viable alternative either for the same reason (I don't need 2.8 aperture, I need a sharp f/8-11 lens), as well as the price difference!
So the lens is the best wide angle option for crop cameras. It is not an easy lens to use, as composition is very important for this focal length. Moving the camera just a couple of inches can dramatically improve a shot. One needs to be close, and really watch out for distortion and the composition. In the end though, once one becomes more proficient, the end results are quite stellar and it becomes a must own lens. Highly recommended!